New to me 1903a3 Remington

[Lancebear]

Hey ramit,

You are quite the writer.

One of my favorite things to do is detailing a rifle in the condition as yours.

Completely strip it and soak the small parts in Hoppe's in a plastic container with a tight fitting top so nothing gets lost. Overnight or an hour or so.

I use Brake-Clean to spray off the large metal if it has active Cosmo, doesn't work on the dried stuff as it evaporates almost instantly. Brake-Clean will not harm Park in the least. The parts with dried Cosmo or old BLO will need a soak in Mineral Spirits, Hoppe's, or Break Free.

Anything that you spray off with Brake-Clean or carb cleaner should be sprayed with Remoil or Break Free right after because they will be bone dry.

Mineral Spirits is probably the best and cheapest cleaner for dried Cosmo and BLO, probably the safest also.

I don't use any steel wool on metal. Use swabs for sticky problem areas.
Best ones are made by Puritan, number REF 806-WC. Six inch hardwood shaft and very tightly wound cotton tips. Medical swabs that cost about twenty bucks for a thousand. I live by them for detailing.

Nice to hear you had good shootin'. Break that bolt down, detailed instructions are on the Inet. Don't need any tools, just your hands. Make sure that you wipe any oil or grease off first so you get a good grip. Bet your bolt is packed with Cosmo, will work for a while but it ought to be packed with good grease. Least that's what I do and have no problems, real slick.

Your wood looks nice and bright and probably not too dry. If you want to get any surface dirt off without doing any harm to patina, wipe the exterior wood off with lemon oil. The dry interior wood would absorb it and change the color so don't put any there.

The methods I have described will not harm any metal finish or patina on the wood. When you are done cleaning the metal, put a light coat of Break Free Collector or Remoil on with a shaving brush and you are done.

Nice rifle, sounds like you might have an original barrel, hope that's the case as it adds value. Just detail it up real good and shoot the crap out of it.

I'll spend a week doing the cleanup on a rifle and always enjoy every minute of it. Very peaceful experience and you learn a lot.

It's "We The People" not "Me The People",

Lancebear

[ramit]

Thank you Lancebear, Chief, JGaynor, and Arisaka99

Chief, as I was trying to research the butt plates, I came across a source that had NOS of the stamped plates and milled plates with checkering, and another with NOS of plates milled smooth.
The more I look the more things I find that I don't read about in other sources.


Lancebear (like your tag line),
Actually, I believe I'm a terrible writer, just lucky when it comes out ok on paper (screen).
I've been trying to learn about the 03a3, via articles on the web. But the 03a3 doesn't seem as well document as the Garand. And seems there are more cross over items, when it went from Springfield to Rem/SC for manufacturing. (butt plates, stocks, barrel grooves, trigger guards).

JGaynor pointed out "small trigger guard"......
I haven't come across material yet that mentioned it.

JGaynor can you expand on that please?

Thank you all very much for the info and for reviewing my 03a3.

[Mr Hanky]

Ramit,

on your bbl date to reciever,not sure if you figured it out yet but wanted tolet you know that I have 338XXXX that has a bbl date of 1-43 that is orig. Thanks for a great thread

Hank

[ramit]

Mr Hanky (love the handle! great part of that series! )

Thanks for the info. Seems my receiver date (one list says end of 42 for sure, and other says end of mid Jan 43 for sure) is about 5-6 months later than my barrel date of 7-42.
One list shows an example of the of a 34401xx with a 7-42 barrel, breaking the norm of 2-3 months.
I've got a bunch of feelers out in other circles and in the Remington collectors forum asking for more help on getting input.
One expert I talked to said the 2-3 months isn't written in stone and there execptions (as borne out by a couple of examples the vishooter list - if the info is solid).
I've gotten mix input on the butt plate.. some saying early startups used some early plates, and later went to the stamped with the R. Others saying it must have an R. I emailed one collectors source of all 3 different plates, and they weren't sure.
It's about running even for yes, no, not sure ! LOL....
The butt plate I have on mine is worn.. so if it was done, someone took a used plated and put it on, or did it a long time ago...

I love these mysteries.

I love the heritage in these WWII guns. Wish the stocks could talk.

I saw another 'original' as issued 03a3, where the stamps on the bottom of the stock looked just like mine. Unfortunantly the stamps on the side of the stock along the receiver just aren't good enough to say what is there and what isn't, which stinks.

[ramit]

I came across this document on the Remington Collectors Society.

http://www.remingtonsociety.com/imag...nd_A3-2005.pdf

It lists production rates per month , and months off acceptance / buy off from the gov't.

And it goes on in the notes to explain s/n problems and select batches of s/n's for a4 variants and such.

It seems the "s/n's by the end" of the month is nothing more than a calculation that, not done by records, and the calculations used some assumptions.

Other columns track the production rate by month, as well as by acceptance/buy off.

If you go by production rates, one can more figure closely to within a month or two the born on date . The document goes on to say that after final rifle assy, then the receiver was given a s/n... and there was a 2wk delay there.

So using the 1st column in the document, within a month or two, you can get a better idea of born on date.

So it seems for my s/n, this document agrees with a different list, that didn't go by month, just year which included my s/n as a 42, rather than a 43 rifle.

This list will bring me into Nov 42 or Sept42 for a born on date, rather than Jan 43.

[Rob13]

The one on the side is FJA as I see it!

Mr Hanky (love the handle! great part of that series! )

Thanks for the info. Seems my receiver date (one list says end of 42 for sure, and other says end of mid Jan 43 for sure) is about 5-6 months later than my barrel date of 7-42.
One list shows an example of the of a 34401xx with a 7-42 barrel, breaking the norm of 2-3 months.
I've got a bunch of feelers out in other circles and in the Remington collectors forum asking for more help on getting input.
One expert I talked to said the 2-3 months isn't written in stone and there execptions (as borne out by a couple of examples the vishooter list - if the info is solid).
I've gotten mix input on the butt plate.. some saying early startups used some early plates, and later went to the stamped with the R. Others saying it must have an R. I emailed one collectors source of all 3 different plates, and they weren't sure.
It's about running even for yes, no, not sure ! LOL....
The butt plate I have on mine is worn.. so if it was done, someone took a used plated and put it on, or did it a long time ago...

I love these mysteries.

I love the heritage in these WWII guns. Wish the stocks could talk.

I saw another 'original' as issued 03a3, where the stamps on the bottom of the stock looked just like mine. Unfortunantly the stamps on the side of the stock along the receiver just aren't good enough to say what is there and what isn't, which stinks.

[ramit]

Yea, the more I look at it, the more I see it... it's there, dang the person that tried to sand it off...

[Mike D]

I know this is an old thread, but that barrel is from a Rem M1903, not an A3. Take the handguard off and you'll see evidence of a fixed rear sight base having been installed.

[ramit]

Mike D

I know this is an old thread, but that barrel is from a Rem M1903, not an A3. Take the handguard off and you'll see evidence of a fixed rear sight base having been installed.

Hi Mike,
When I get a chance I'll do so.
It is a very early 03a3 , machined butt plate and all.

What do you see from the photos that leads you to surmise such?

[Mike D]

Don't get me wrong, I like your rifle just the way it is, I have one kinda like it. A mixed-bag, so to say.

About the barrel, I believe the earliest dated A3 barrels are 9-42. Like you noted, your serial # dates to Jan. '43. The front sight base is from an A3, but I believe the barrel has been modified to accept the center positioned pin. I think '03 barrels were parked after the FRSB was installed, so yours would show bare metal in that area.

Buttplates were first checkered like yours before WWI. During WWI they were left smooth, to speed production, and then checkered again after. Not sure when they went smooth again.

Your stock, having bolts instead of pins, is from a later production. Some other parts on your rifle appear to have a later parkerized finish.